When someone passes away it can be a very traumatic time for family and friends, even if the death was expected, and dealing with a loved one’s possessions can be a very emotional task. Once any items in the will have been distributed, you can ask other family and friends if there is anything they want. If there are more valuable items in the property they may fall into the estate to be valued, and so it is important that you follow the solicitors’ instructions for disposing of or sharing out those items. Once that is done you may still be able to sell items, and so we recommend contacting auction houses and / or antique dealers who you know and trust, to help get you the best price. After that we recommend looking at things in the following order:
Other furniture to sell, either on Ebay, Gumtree or through Facebook groups or marketplace
Furniture to give to charity or give away. If a charity won’t take items you may be able to give them away using Olio, Gumtree or again, local Facebook groups or marketplace
Small items are best to go straight to charity, but not all shops take everything so check individually
Specialist items from hobbies may be of value to a collector even if they have no monetary value, so you might find someone online
Keep papers aside to be shredded if not needed for the legal process. Get a shredding company to collect, or you can drop off
Use a waste collector or skip at the end.
Or, if you want to save time, you can engage a house clearance firm to do all of the above for you.
One Stop Organisers: Here to help your older loved ones live their best lives.